Chapter 3: February - Special Valentine

Tory left work early the Friday of Valentine's weekend, knowing Trent would be going to his father's right after school. She had packed the night before, so she immediately headed to Mitch's house. She remembered fondly the conversations she and Mitch had had over the past month, especially one of the last ones. He always seemed to know what to say to put her anxiety to rest.

Tory let out a nervous chuckle as the memory of her shopping trip with her girlfriends came to mind. Terri Larson and Anna Wagner met Tory in college. Terri and Anna were from the same home town but they quickly included Tory into their lives and schemes, especially when they found out all three were studying to be educators. Tory and Terri now work at the same high school, while Anna works at a nearby elementary school.

Terri and Anna were very enthusiastic about taking Tory shopping for the "proper" clothes for her weekend with the commander. It had been a while since Tory had shopped for herself, so she welcomed the company. That decision led to an interesting time.

The friends were quick to hand Tory every dress in her size, whether appropriate or not for her age or the event. Tory understood it was going to be a challenge to find something she felt was 'just right' due to her petite size, but her friends weren't helping when they gave her dresses that the high school girls were wearing. After a little prodding, Tory gave in and began trying on the clothes her co-conspirators handed her. Some, she was forced to admit, actually did look nice on her, albeit still inappropriate for the base dinner.

After what seemed like many hours, Tory found a burgundy dress she adored; even Terri and Anna had to admit she looked good in it. Once the dress was found, since she already had accessories to go with it, Tory thought the excursion would be over. Her girlfriends, however, had other ideas. After the dress was purchased, the duo led Tory to the lingerie shop to look for something to go under the 'perfect dress'. Tory blushed as she remembered those purchases. She wasn't sure she would have the courage to wear all that revealing lace this weekend, but she had packed it just the same.

She pulled into Mitch's driveway just as he was getting out of his car.

"You made good time!" Mitch called out, walking over to Tory's car to greet her.

"You sound surprised! I can find my way around without a GPS, you know!" she teased, knowing full well that she had printed out a couple different sets of directions and kept a map handy for the trip. As she closed her door, Mitch leaned down to place his briefcase on the driveway before giving her a kiss on the lips. "Are you just getting off work?" she asked.

"I left early; told them I had a 'hot date'!" Mitch winked at her and then headed to the open trunk to gather Tory's luggage. She was left to follow him into his house carrying his briefcase. "You can put my briefcase right there on the side table; I'll take care of it later. I'm going to bring your bags up to the guest room. Then I'll give you a quick tour and you can decide if you want to take a bath or shower before we go out."

Mitch was a gracious host, giving Tory the "fifty-cent tour" and showing her where everything was. And, since there was a little time, Tory decided to indulge in a hot bath before getting ready for the evening; Mitch offered the master bathroom with its whirlpool tub. When she was finally ready, she felt a strange flutter in her stomach. 'It might have something to do with not having anything to eat today', she thought, 'or it could be anticipating a very attractive officer waiting for me downstairs'.

She slowly left the room and walked to the staircase. As she looked toward the bottom of the stairs, she noticed Mitch, dressed in his full dress uniform, with an armful of roses. He was staring at her with his mouth agape. She smiled nervously as she slowly descended the stairs.

"You look beautiful!" Mitch hadn't been able to blink since Tory appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Thank you," she said, shyly. "You look pretty good, yourself, sailor."

"These are for you," Mitch said, as he presented Tory with the roses.

"They're beautiful, but don't you think it's a little much to take to dinner?" Tory teased.

"That's why I have water in a vase waiting for them. And," Mitch continued, "I also have this for you." He produced a wrist corsage from behind his back. After placing the roses in the vase, Mitch placed the corsage on Tory's wrist. They shared a very tender kiss before leaving for the dinner/dance.

Dinner was wonderful. Mitch and Tory shared their table with two other officers and their wives. The officers were eager to meet the woman Mitch had been talking about for the past month, and they all talked and laughed easily throughout the evening. Shortly before the dinner was cleared away, the Navy band began to set up on the stage.

"We know you're just finishing up the dinner" began the band leader, as the musicians were getting settled in their places. "We would like to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day. And, we would, also, like to encourage you all to feel free to enjoy the dance floor as we play some music to help you get in the mood." As soon as the band began to play, Mitch was standing next to Tory with an extended hand.

"Would you do me the honor, Tory?"

"My pleasure," Tory responded, gently placing her hand in his. As the couple moved toward the dance floor, they couldn't help but hear the two other officers begin to chuckle. Very soon after that, Tory and Mitch watched their wives elbowing them in the ribs in mock disgust.

Tory felt herself getting nervous all over again. For the first time in the past two months, she realized how much taller Mitch was than her. At 5'11", he wasn't particularly tall. But, she was only 5'1"; so, their difference would be noticeable as they danced. As soon as Tory looked into Mitch's eyes, however, their differences melted away.

It seemed they danced every dance possible. After the final song of the night, Tory realized she was sorry the night was ending. Pleased with the success of the evening, Mitch took Tory back to his house.

"May I come in?" Tory was standing in the open doorway to Mitch's bedroom, still in her dress but without her shoes or stockings.

"Sure; everything okay?" Mitch was sitting on his bed directly across from the open doorway. He had already removed his jacket and shirt, and was finishing up removing his shoes and socks.

"Yes; everything's fine. I had a real good time tonight."

"I'm glad. I really enjoyed myself, too. Must have been the company." Mitch finished with his shoes and socks then smiled as he looked up at Tory. She stepped into the bedroom and stopped right in front of him.

"I must be a lot taller than I thought. Even without my shoes, we can see eye to eye." As Tory's hands reached out to gently rest on Mitch's shoulders, he reflexively placed his hands on her waist. Mitch gently pulled her closer to his body between his open legs.

"Your brown eyes have gold flecks in them; I never noticed that before," Mitch observed.

"This is a good height for dancing. Too bad there's no music playing."

"We were dancing earlier and didn't seem to have any problems."

"Yes, but now I can lay my head on your shoulder and I couldn't before." As if to prove her point, Tory stepped even closer and laid her head on his shoulder, gently nuzzling his neck. She was pleased when she heard a low moan escape from Mitch's throat as their bodies slightly grazed each other.

"What are you doing?" Mitch asked, with a slightly husky voice.

"I'm proving my point," Tory replied, innocently.

"You feel good in my arms," Mitch said barely above a whisper, as his hands snaked around Tory's waist to her back.

"Why am I staying in the guest room?" Tory asked, still keeping her head on Mitch's shoulder.

"Where should you be staying?"

"On the sofa or somewhere else on the first floor, I think. If I remember correctly, you were reluctant to sleep on the same floor as me in my house. Why was that, again?" Tory couldn't help but allow a smile to grace her lips when she heard exasperation in Mitch's voice.

"I was trying to not give you the wrong impression. Besides, your boys were in the house."

"Oh ... so it was for the benefit of my boys?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I just wondered what was different now."

"Apparently, you have some confidence and ammunition to tease me about trying to do the right thing! But, I'm still glad you're here!"

"Could you help me with my dress? I can't reach the zipper to pull it down." After the many phone conversations they had shared, Mitch was getting used to Tory seemingly switching topics mid-conversation.

"Sure, turn around."

"You can do it from there; you just might need to lean forward more to make sure it doesn't snag," Tory suggested. Without realizing what he was doing, Mitch pulled Tory closer to his body and leaned forward so he could see behind her. When he did this, Tory's body was in complete contact with his own and he realized for the first time that night just how hard he was becoming.

He slowly lowered her zipper, getting more aroused and nervous as each tooth was disengaged.

"You don't have to do this," he offered.

"Do what? Take my dress off? Or get ready for bed?" She lifted her head slowly and stared at him innocently just as the zipper reached its end. Mitch's hands rested on Tory's hips.

"I don't want you to think that you have to... " Mitch's objections were cut off when Tory's lips met his. Quickly losing control, his tongue was out caressing her lips, requesting entrance. When her tongue greeted his, both allowed low moans to escape.

"Before you start to worry," Tory began, breathless after their heated lovers' kiss. "I do not feel obligated to do anything with you. I might not HAVE to, but I WANT to and NEED to. Now, unless you don't want me, please..." It was Mitch's turn to cut Tory off with a kiss.